RE:Support for SB 614 Medi-Cal: Mental Health Services: Peer and Family Support Specialist

[INSERT LETTERHEAD]

June 18, 2015

[Assemblymember]

[District]

[Address Line 1]

[Address Line 2]

RE:Support for SB 614--Medi-Cal: mental health services: peer and family support specialist certification.

Dear [Assemblymember]:

[NAMI affiliate] is pleased to supportSB 614, which would require the State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to establish, by July 1, 2016, a statewide peer and family support specialist certification program, as a part of the state’s comprehensive mental health delivery system. The certification program’s components would include, among others, defining responsibilities and practice guidelines, determining curriculum and core competencies, specifying training and continuing education requirements, and establishing a code of ethics and certification revocation processes.

[NAMI affiliate] is [county/region]’s organization of the country’s largest mental health advocacy organization, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Our members and include people living with serious mental illnesses, their families and supporters. [NAMI affiliate] advocates on their behalf, providing education and support to its members and the broader community.

[NAMI affiliate]’s educational programs provide critical resources to help individuals and family gain knowledge and skills for living successfully with mental illness. Our support groups offer invaluable peer to peer and family to family connections. Our organization is intimately familiar with the benefits of peer and family support and implementation of this programming.

It is important that California take this step of creating a statewide certification program to enhance existing peer support efforts and ensure their sustainability. In 2007, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance for establishing peer certification programs, which enables the use of federal Medicaid financial participation for participating states. To date, 36 states and the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs have established peer certification programs.

A peer specialist program provides meaningful employment and should provide a career ladder so that consumers and family members working in mental health care have the opportunity to utilize their skills to fully contribute. In currently operating peer specialist programs, peers perform duties that include wellness, resilience and recovery coaching; navigating systems and community services; assisting in the development of individual wellness plans; and outreach to potential beneficiaries.

Peer services assist with expanding and diversifying the health care workforce, particularly the non-physician workforce. Additionally, peer specialists have been shown to be more effective than traditional providers in reaching populations that are historically underserved by the health care system.[1]

We support SB 614 and urge its passage.If you have questions, please contact [contact information].

Sincerely,

[ NAMI affiliate]

[1]RepperCarter.“A Review of the Literature on Peer Support in Mental Health Services”. 2011.